August 15, 2011 

E-Verify Self-Check Expands to Include 16 More States + A Spanish Language Site

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced the expanded availability of the free E-Verify self-check program to include sixteen more states:   California, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Washington. Those included in the initial launch of the program in March of 2011 were Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Mississippi, Virginia and the District of Columbia.  USCIS has stated the goal of extending the service to the entire country by the second quarter of 2012.  The site has also been made available in Spanish.

E-Verify self-check enables potential employees to check their U.S. employment eligibility by running the information that they would present to an employer in the I-9 process through the E-Verify database in advance of their I-9 process, thus enabling them to verify their own work authorization and correct any discrepancies in advance of meeting with an employer.  Individuals using E-Verify self-check will have their information checked against the same government records accessible by an employer using E-Verify.

Moreover, with the launch of the Spanish-language version of E-Verify Self Check, USCIS has taken additional steps to streamline and bolster the integrity of the E-Verify process.  A companion to the English-language service of E-Verify Self Check that began in March of 2011, the Spanish-language version offers Spanish speakers over the age of 16 the ability to determine if any errors or discrepancies exist in their files with the Social Security Administration (SSA) or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

For more information on E-Verify self-check, see GT’s March 2011 newsflash on the initial launch.